Bahamut
Bahamut (pronounced: /bɑːˈhɑːmʌt/ ba-HA-mut or: /ˈbɑːhɑːmʌt/ BA-ha-mut) is the dragon god of justice and a subservient deity to Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice. Before entering the Khilarian pantheon, he was a member of the Draconic pantheon, as a deity of good dragons, metallic dragons, wisdom, and enlightened justice (justice tempered with punishment yet with forgiveness and mercy). His natural form is that of a platinum dragon, said by many to be the only one of his kind. He is also the eternal rival of his sister Tiamat, queen of the chromatic dragons. Description In his natural form, Bahamut is a massive dragon (approx 180 feet (55m) long) with a tail the same length as his body, with platinum scales tougher than any shield (said by some to be virtually indestructible) that glowed with a faint blue sheen, and blue eyes, the exact color of which was hard to specify and may depend on Bahamut's mood. When he wished to wander the mortal world, he usually took the appearance of an old human or demihuman dressed in peasant robes accompanied by seven gold dragons in the guise of seven canaries. Some sages believe Bahamut used this humanoid guise to not frighten non-dragon beings. They also believe that while Bahamut was fond of his old man guise, he had other guises as well. Other recorded guises included that of a prince with a carriage drawn by seven horses, an urchin accompanied by seven friends, and a beggar followed by seven dogs. However, the times of which Bahamut has walked the Prime Material Plane have ended due to the Divine Passage being in place and Helm guarding it. Personality Bahamut is stern and very disapproving of evil. He accepts no excuses for evil acts and doesn't tolerate even minor offenses by evil creatures. In spite of his stance, he is also considered one of the most compassionate beings in the multiverse. He has limitless empathy for the downtrodden, the dispossessed, and the helpless. He usually prefers to polymorph those who offend him instead of killing them, although it is also said that Bahamut loathes to sully himself with the blood of evil creatures. By draconic standards, Bahamut is neither vain nor desirous of treasure. He values wisdom, knowledge, prophecies, and songs instead. He uses the great wealth he has amassed over the ages to help those in need while using the magic items he has gathered to further his goals. However, he also pursues viciously (usually sending his champions and followers) those who try to steal the hoard from his palace as, after all, he is the god of justice. Bahamut also likes to prove the strength and the worthiness of his followers by battling against them in his dragon form, halting the combat when his followers are injured or when they overcome him. However, he is prone to get carried away by his zeal and has powerful healers on hand in case he gravely injures one of his followers in those battles. While his court is comprised only of gold dragons, Bahamut enjoys the company of all good dragons, delighting in their differences and varied personalities. Actions Bahamut spent a lot of his time traveling the Prime Material Plane in the guise of an old man. In this form, he traveled from one place to another with no apparent purpose and was quick to offer advice, information, or assistance to other travelers he encountered on the road. He always tried to assess the worthiness—viewed through a lens of justice, nobility, and honor—of everyone he met while traveling. Some said that Bahamut had visited every known world and plane during these travels at least once in his lifetime. When Bahamut assumed the form of the old man, he was usually accompanied by seven gold great wyrms polymorphed into canaries or some other small animal form, always ready to attack anyone foolish enough to threaten their god. He spends the rest of his time holding court in his shining palace on Celestia. Good-aligned clerics and paladins usually take pilgrimages to his castle, seeking to receive the blessings of the Platinum Dragon. Bahamut is ever watchful against the machinations of Tiamat and has never interfered in the affairs of mortal creatures unless his actions could also stop her evil schemes. However, when he confronts her, he always takes the necessary actions to stop the spread of her influence and to undo whatever damages she has done. Bahamut is unable to turn his back on any good creatures that are in need, however, even if Tiamat isn't involved. But he prefers to help them in indirect ways, such as giving them useful information, needed advice that bordered on prophecy, a safe refuge, or healing and bolstering them with his powerful magic. History For ages, sages have debated whether Bahamut actually is a deity or not. Many believed he was the archetype of good dragonkind, the avatar of another deity, or even a mortal dragon so powerful that other dragons revered him like a god. Whatever he is, sages know for certain that he is powerful, is venerated by many good dragons as their king, and is even respected by evil ones. The fact is that Bahamut is actually a god. Birth of Bahamut Bahamut came into existence alongside Tiamat when Asgorath fell in the Primordial War. His origins are highly conflicting, as there were many accounts about how he came into being. In the more commonly accepted traditions, he was the son of Asgorath and brother of Tiamat. Whatever the truth, his cult grew rapidly in the communities of metallic dragons, especially among young gold dragons. Cosmic Fissure/Arcanus Burst (1A 2538) Shortly after the birth of Bahamut, his essence was completely obliterated due to the Arcanus Burst. However, Bahamut returned during the Re-Emergence outside of the Prime Material Plane. Unable to get back in, he was brought to Celestia to serve under the Divine Leader, Torm. The Draconic Civil War (2A 247 - 2A 1193) Once dragons as a race had established themselves after the Re-Emergence, the various religious factions of dragons began to battle one another over their different ideologies. Over time, religious fervor waned and draconic philosophers came to the conclusion that gods who allowed such behavior were not worthy of their worship. This started the draconic apathy towards their gods. The followers of Bahamut and Tiamat didn't lose their faith toward their gods, however, and continued fighting in what was known as the Draconic Civil War. To combat Tiamat's aberrant creations, Bahamut created powerful draconic humanoids known as the Dragonborn, who served as his emissaries in the mortal realm during the first years of the war. The war waxed and waned in intensity, with the most notable fighting occurring between 2A 247 to 2A 337 and a resurgence from 2A 924 to 2A 1193. During this time, many mortals learned of both Tiamat and Bahamut as a result of dragons often using them for pawns and the overall destruction of the war. During the second resurgence of the civil war, both Bahamut and Tiamat gained many humanoid worshipers, which lead to the Draconic Civil War entering a new period of intensity. The two siblings fought each other personally, with neither being able to gain the upper hand. Bahamut, with the help of Torm, gained many followers and was able to thwart many of the activities of Tiamat. Tyranny of Dragons (2A 957 - 2A 1193) During the Tyranny of Dragons, followers and worshippers of Tiamat increased, which caused her to regain her deity status. Many dragons were destroyed by King Gareth Dragonclaw who followed Bahamut during these dark times. Through his fierce resistance to the chromatic dragon overlords, Gareth Dragonclaw rose to become the new king of the now Caesterion Kingdom where he brought the worship of Bahamut back to its people, elevating Bahamut to the status of a greater deity. With the expanded faith in him, Bahamut began preparing for a renewal of the Draconic Civil War. He gifted his most devout followers with the ability to turn themselves into Dragonborn of Bahamut so that the war could continue between mortals again. After a few hundred years of tyrannical rule and battles between mortals and dragons alike, the great wizard Caesterion destroyed the home of one of Tiamat's offspring, Xalbisdeg, by sending a meteor down on to the Burning Mountain. In this world-shattering event, many of the dragons began to doubt the true power of Tiamat. Many of the dragons isolated themselves atop mountains and within deep caves, which lead to the end of the Tyranny of Dragons. Rise of Tiamat (2A 1336 - 2A 1357) Tiamat, betrayed and angry from a recent dealing with Bel and Asmodeus within the Nine Hells, instructed her followers within the Cult of the Dragon to assemble to Mask of the Dragon Queen that would allow her to finally escape Avernus and enter Khilaria while subverting the Divine Passage. After Tiamat's failed attempt to escape from Avernus in 2A 1357, Bahamut sent the copper dragon Balarystul to that plane to keep an eye on the activities of Tiamat's followers. Relationships Bahamut's allies included good dragons, half-dragons, dragonborn (both Abeiran57 and ancient ones), and good draconic creatures.40 Bahamut was a servant deity to Torm, occupying an equivalent position to that of a knight.53 As a comrade of arms of Torm, both deities had battled side-by-side against evil gods and devils on many occasions.58 Bahamut's antithesis was Tiamat,11 as both of them represented opposing values,42 and this enmity was reflected in the attitude of each deity's worshipers as well.5 He was also at odds with his brother Null.59 Servitors As Bahamut was active in the Prime Material Plane, he needed less divine servants than other deities. The best known of his few exarchs was Kuyutha, a dragonborn demigod.33 As of 1479 DR, the King of Justice Tamarand was one of his few Chosen.60 The Seven Gold Wyrms A council of seven ancient gold dragons comprised Bahamut's court.333443 They were Bahamut's closest servants and friends. Each one worked on specific tasks, and served as Bahamut's emissaries in tasks that didn't demanded the god's personal attention.39 They also advised Bahamut on matters of honor and acted as a jury when the god was judging evildoers—often apprehended by his champions.33 Some claimed these wyrms were reincarnations of dead kings, renowned for their sense of justice and returned to life to serve the Platinum Dragon.34 Gold dragons, however, believed that Bahamut chose among the most noble and courageous among them to serve him in this capacity, and they considered a position in his court to be the most prestigious of all. According to gold dragon traditions, Bahamut chose them through secret, elaborated and dangerous tests that challenged their mettle.43 Once appointed to a position in his court, that gold dragon served Bahamut until dead or until it was too old or infirm to aid their god.3943 It was unknown if there was some form of hierarchy among them.33 As of the 15th century DR, the Seven Gold Wyrms were Borkadd the Claw, Kurya the Eye, Sonngrad the Wing, Gruemar the Voice, Marroshok the Tail, Troannaxia the Presence, and Urgala the Fang. Worshippers The majority of Bahamut's worshipers prior to the Spellplague were mostly metallic dragons. While he was revered by all good dragons, gold, silver, and brass dragons held him in particularly high regard.37 His worship grew in the decades following the Time of Troubles, when he regained his divine status, as non-dragons began to take interest in his teachings.49 When he became a subservient deity to Torm, after the Spellplague, many Tormites also paid homage to Bahamut as well, and it wasn't uncommon for both gods to lend their strength to worshipers of either deity at the same time.61 Followers of Bahamut often took quests to oppose the schemes of Tiamat and to stop or destroy her followers.40 They were allies of worshipers of Torm,61 Moradin, Yondalla, and other lawful good deities.40 Clergy Bahamut accepted only clerics of good alignments. Whether they were dragons, dragonborn, half-dragons, or other beings attracted to his philosophy, clerics of the Platinum Dragon always had to strive to take constant but subtle actions on behalf of good while trying to do as little harm in the process as possible.37 Dragon clerics were usually nurtured from birth, trained by a senior dragon cleric, usually a parent or close friend of their parents, although it was not unusual that a dragon of any age heard the call of Bahamut and sought out clerical training. As with any dragon deity, dragons who wanted to become clerics of Bahamut had to first acquire an appropriate holy symbol. This holy symbol became the most prized item of their hoards after that, as it was a symbol of their status in dragon society and of the cleric's devotion to Bahamut, and to lose it was considered a blasphemy. If a dragon cleric didn't try to recover an stolen or lost holy symbol, he or she would lost their investiture. Usually a dragon had to acquire his or her holy symbol on their own, but Bahamut also bestowed a holy symbol to a dragon he wanted to be his cleric.62 The holy symbol used by dragon clerics of Bahamut was a small dragon claw (about the size of a human hand) usually made of platinum or some other metal plated with platinum, although younger (and relatively poorer) dragons made theirs of their own metal type. They carried their holy symbol at all times, usually around their necks on a stout chain. One of the main goals of a dragon cleric was to acquire their most preferred type of holy symbol; in the case of Bahamut's worshipers, one made of platinum. In some instances, Bahamut blessed some of his clerics for services rendered by upgrading their holy symbol to one made of platinum.62 Bahamut was known to work with his clerics more often than other dragon deities, and he asked his clerics to oppose the greatest weaknesses of dragonkind, that in Bahamut's point of view were the tendency of good dragons to perform questionable acts because of greed or cowardice, the chance to be subdued (something all dragon gods frowned upon), and the existence of evil dragons.62 Like the dragon clerics of the other dragon deities, clerics of Bahamut were expected to perform three key functions alongside any other tasks he asked them to do: to act as role models for other good dragons, to function as emissaries of Bahamut on a given area, and to spread Bahamut's will to other dragons in that area while collecting sacrifices from Bahamut's worshipers. Those sacrifices were usually a small part of their dragon hoards, and dragon clerics were allowed to take a small share of this sacrifice as well, making this third function the favorite of many dragon clerics. Dragon clerics were also expected to sacrifice a part of their treasure to Bahamut once every year.62 If a dragon cleric transgressed Bahamut's dogma, committed questionable acts, or was subdued, either voluntarily or by force, he or she would have lost favor with him and would need to atone by sacrificing part of their treasure or by performing special tasks, or they would lost part of their clerical powers. Repeated transgressions would earn them the loss of all their clerical abilities, a merciful punishment if compared to how other dragon gods, such as Tiamat, punished their failed clerics.62 Non-draconic clerics of Bahamut typically learned his teachings at the foot of a wyrm, usually a gold or silver dragon in humanoid form. Teacher and student often traveled to see the effects of injustice and cruelty firsthand.63 Bahamut's wanderings gave rise to many bard tales about an unassuming old man with canaries who helped people on the roads35 that were well known among his faithful, and many of his human and demihuman priests undertook pilgrimages in the company of trained canaries, seeking to emulate their god.33 OrdersEdit The Talons of Justice was an order of dragon paladins dedicated to Bahamut that followed the Ptarian Code.64 No one knew exactly how many Talons there were, but the group probably numbered in the scores. Group members were spread throughout Faerûn, many living in human and demihuman form in cities and towns of other races.65 The Platinum Cadre was an order of dragonborn knights from Tymanther who believed that not all dragons were evil, and that dragonborn were the ancient children of Bahamut. They worked actively to change Tymantheran prejudices about dragons, and although they were ridiculed by Tymantheran society, they were also acknowledged as some of the best warriors Tymanther had to offer, even if grudgingly.5766 Temples Temples to Bahamut were extremely rare, as the Platinum Dragon didn't appreciate being honored by objects, taking into account deeds instead. Many gold, silver, and brass dragons maintained small shrines to Bahamut in their lairs, usually nothing more than Bahamut's holy symbol engraved on a wall.40 The few temples that were made to honor him were beautiful and elegant buildings with simple furniture and no embellishment or adornment. Those temples had meeting rooms where followers could gather to plan their next campaign against Tiamat, and few smaller rooms where individuals could pray, meditate, or rest in privacy.40 Dogma Bahamut's dogma was based on justice, nobility, protection, and honor. He taught his followers to always uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice; to be constantly vigilant against evil and to oppose it from all fronts; and to protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order.21 Bahamut advocated a "greater justice" that included fighting against evil and toppling oppressive regimes.3 He also liked to reward strength of purpose and character in his followers.67 His dragon adepts followed the Ptarian Code,64 a draconic code of honor created by the gold dragon Ptaris in the ancient past. Originally intended as a code of conduct for the lords who attended the King of Justice, the Ptarian Code eventually was adopted by many gold and silver dragons.65 The Ptarian Code was similar to the codes of chivalry adopted by knightly orders of humanity. It included paying homage to Bahamut, as well to the draconic deities Lendys and Tamara.65 The major precepts were: * Justice and Good above all. * Honor and Fealty to the King. * Honor and Respect to Righteous Innocence. * Honor and Duty to the Balancer (Lendys), to Her Mercy (Tamara), and to the Justicemaker (Bahamut). * Honor and Protection to the Lesser Races. * Honor and Correction to the Enemies of Justice and Good. * Honor and Forbearance for oneself.6568 Rites Bahamut's worshipers and clergy had no formal rituals or ceremonies. Those who followed the Platinum Dragon believed in the philosophy of "praying through their deeds". The only activity that was considered as something like a ritual was the Rite of Rebirth, the magical process by which non-dragon humanoids transformed themselves into dragonborn.40